Fair-lead for cables, ropes, and the like



March 2, 1943. E, AGEE 2,436,894

FAIRLEAD FOR CABLES, ROPBS AND THE LIKE Filed Feb. 8, 1945 '2 N'VENTEIR.

EDWARD mums IAAGEE 'A'r'rn NEm' Patented Mar. 2, 1948 EdwardB. Magee,Fort Colborne, Ontario, Can ada, assignor to Port Colborne Iron Works,Limited, Port Colborne, Ontario, Canada, a

company of Canada Application February 8, 1945, Serial No. 576,886 InCanada February 21, 1944 '4 Claims. 1 This invention relates toiairleads for cables, ropes and the like and more particularly does itrelate to devices of this character which are self aligning.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a device ofthis character wherein the fairlead automatically assumes a lead in thedirection dictated by changing angles of applied tension ,of a cable,rope or similar means.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of this characterwhich will efficiently guide a cable, rope or other medium in itsmovement from one sheave to another duringnperation.

A further object of the invention is to provide a. device of thischaracter for use in ships and vessels where, Without manual assistance,the tension or load applied by the cable will be squarely imposed uponthe fairlead irrespective of the directional lead of the cable.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a deviceof this nature which is weatherproof in character and will automaticallyand efiiciently operate under salt or fresh water conditions in freezingtemperatures or like unfavorable circumstances. 7

Yet a further object of the invention is to provide a device of thischaracter which is simple and rugged in structure, safe and efficient inoperation and one that will more satisfactorily perform the functionsrequired of it.

Having regard to the foregoing and other objects and advantages whichwill become apparent as the description and the details become known,the invention consists essentially in the novel combination andarrangement of parts hereinafter described in detail and illustrated inthe accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of an embodiment of the presentinvention.

Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 22 of Fi 1.

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 4 illustrates a bearing shaft or pin for the sheaves which is showndetached.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings wherein a preferredembodiment of the present invention is disclosed and wherein likeletters of reference designate corresponding parts in the difierentillustrations, the numeral I 5 indicates the improved fairlead as awhole and broadly speaking includes a support member or casing l6 and ahousing member I! mounted for axial rotation within the support orcasing.

In' structure, the member l6 disclosed includes a support or casingcomposed of any suitable material having a cylindrical wall structure l8with outwardly extending flanges. l9 and 20 and inwardly protrudingflange 2|. Integrally formed bracket members 23 and 24 provide means formounting and detachably securing the fairlead to the side plates orother appropriate structure of a ship, vessel or other structure while acover plate 25 is detachably connected to the flange [9 by means ofscrews or the like 26. The cover member 25 is designed to operativelymaintain the housing member I! within the support member [6 in anaxially rotatable position as will be later referred to. i The housingmember I! is of substantially cylindrical form and nests within thesupporting plug or the like 30 mounted in the base of the support. Byvirtue of the structural arrangement just described it will be seen thatwhen the pocket 29 is filled with a lubricant, the housing issubstantially fioatingly supported within the casing 16 by thelubricant.

Arranged between the support and housing members [6 and I1 respectivelyinannular recesses 3| and 32, are ball or roller bearings 33. Thepurpose of the bearings is to reduce friction to a minimum andfacilitate rotative movement of the housing within the support memberduring operation of the fairlead.

As more particularly observed in Figs. 1 and 3, the housing member l'lis provided with spaced supporting arms or webs 34 and 35 providing arectangular opening 36 therebetween while cross arms 31 and 38 furnishreinforcement for the arm members 34 and 35. Rotatably mounted onbearing shafts 39 in spaced relationship to one another and to the axisof the housing member I! are cable receiving sheaves or pulleys 40 and 4I. Each sheave member is provided with a shaft bushing or the like 4'2while the shafts upon which the sheaves are mounted are provided withoutwardly extending arm members 43, such arms being secured to thesupport member 34 by bolt means or the like 44 for detachably securingthe bearing shafts and sheaves in an operative position in the opening36.

As disclosed in Fig. 4, each bearing shaft is symmetrical in form and isprovided with an axial bore 46 which, through a lateral opening 41,communicates with an annular lubricant receiving recess 48 locatedsubstantially midway of the bearing shaft or pin. For purposes ofintroduc ing a lubricating medium to the recess 4.8 for purposes oflubricating the sheaves, I provide the.

ends of the bearing shaft bores with any well known type of grease orother fitting which is indicated by the numeral 49.

Means for guiding a cable or other suitable mooring medium into thesheaves of the fairlead comprise opposed, integrally formed cable guidemembers 59 and 5|. As particularly seen in Fig. 1, these guide membersare elongated and of sweeping curve formation with their apicesprojecting inwardly of the opening 36 toward one another at a pointsubstantially midway of the spaced sheave members and as disclosed inFig. 3 gradually taper inwardly as from the front to the rear. Inaddition to the foregoing the arm members 34 and35 curve outwardly as at52 and are recessed at their inner sides as indicated at 53. Thisstructure provides flanges which overlie the outer rims of the sheavemembers and not only prevent the cable from binding as between thesheaves and the arm members but cooperates in guiding the cable into thesheave groove. The purpose of the guide members 50 and 5| is toinsure'that a cable will be effectively and efficiently guided into oneor the other of the sheave members during operation. Thus where thetension on the cable is suddenly altered, as is frequently the caseinship mooring operation, the cable will be eiliciently led and guidedover and into the grooves of one sheave or the other irrespective of theangle of'tension or load imposed by the cable.

From what has been disclosed it will be seen that I provide novelfairlead structure of weatherproof character in which provision is madefor substantially floatingly supporting the housing on a lubricant andwherein the several operative parts are readily accessible for removal,replacement or lubrication.

In the embodiment disclosed the invention is seen in new, novel andpractical form. It will be understood however that the device may beembodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit'oressential characteristics of the invention. It is intended thereforethat the present disclosure be considered in all respects asillustrative rather than restrictive and and that all changes comingwithin the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intendedto be embraced'therein.

I claim: 1

1. In a deviceof the character; described, a support comprising-anannular member having an inwardly directed flange around one edgethereof providing a central opening, a cover secured on the other edgeof the annular membe and having an aligned opening of less diameter thanthe diameter of the annular member, a housing comprising an annularmember having spaced external flanges around its periphery forming alubricant-retaining pocket therebetween, said housing being rotatablymounted within said support with said external flanges located betweensaid first flange and said cover, means to introduce lubricant into thepocket between said external flanges, ball-bearings between said firstflange and one edge of said housing member, sheave members rotatablymounted in said housing member in spaced relation to one another and tothe axis of the housing member, and cable guide means carried by saidhousing membeer for guiding a cable into one of the sheave members.

2. In a device as claimed in claim 1, in which said sheaves are mountedto turn about parallel axes lying in a first plane perpendicular to theaxis of the housing member and on opposite sides of such axis, saidcable guide means including members having opposed surfaces on oppositesides of a second plane perpendicular to said sheave axes, said surfacestapering away from each other on both sides of a point intermediate saidsheaves, such tapering surfaces extending to the points of projection-ofsaid sheaves on a third plane parallel to the plane of said sheave axes.

3. In a device as claimed in claim 2, said surfaces tapering away fromeach other in the direction of the axis of the housing member andintersecting the plane of the sheave axes.

4. In a device as claimed in claim 1, in which said sheaves are mountedto turn about parallel axes lying in a first plane perpendicular to theaxis of the housing member and on opposite sides of such axis, saidcable guide means including members having opposed surfaces on oppositesides of a second plane perpendicular to said sheave axes, said surfacestapering away from each other in the direction of the axis of thehousing member and intersecting the plane or" the sheave axes.

EDWARD B. MAGEE.

' REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,589,776 Warden June 22, 19261,687,892 Reed Oct. 16, 1928 1,887,306 Huff Nov. 8, 1932 1,943,433Heighton Jan. 16, 1934 2,303,020 Berner Nov. 24, 1942

